Axle lathe



March 5, 1963 Filed May 2, 1962 FIG.

W. R. MILLER EI'AI.

AXLE LATHE 19 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTORS WILLIAM R. MILLER AND g BED RICWILLIAM YOUNG PETER HOLD March 5, 1963 w. R. MILLER ETA].

AXLE LATHE 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1962 FIG. 2.

INVENTORS WILLIAM R. MILLER AND FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLDflfitarnc/r,

March 5, 1963 w. R. MILLER ETAL 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS WILLIAM R.MILLER AND FREDE IC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLD March 5, 1963 w. R.MILLER ETAL 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS WILLIAM R.MILLER AND FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLD March 5, 1963 w. R.MILLER ETAL 3,079,

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 6.

FIG 7 INVENTORS WILLIAM R. MILLER AND FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETERHOLD Atlan a March 5, 1963 w. R. MILLER ETA].

AXLE LATHE l9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 2, 1962 INVENTORS WILLIAM R.MILLER AND FREDERIC WILLlAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLD fiil'flraey /7 mwm mom5N W. R. MILLER ETA].

March 5,1963

AXLE LATHE 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 2, 1962 mom NmN PETER HOLDAuofnty f m m w.

WILLIAM R. MILLER mu FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG BY gfl March 5, 1963 w. R.MILLER EI'AI.

AXLE LATHE 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed May 2, 1962 March 5, 1963 w. R.MILLER El'AL 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed Mag, 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTORS WILLIAM R.MILLER AND HG. l4. 'FREDE IC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLD Httarm March 5,1963 w. R. MILLER E'IAL AXLE LATHE 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed May 2, 1962Q GE mwm mwm NQN llll mmN hmm

W. R. MILLER EFAL March 5, 1963 4 AXLE LATHE 19 Sheets-Sheet 11- FiledMay 2, 1962 I II "llllll I l M sea INVENTORS WlLjJAM R. MILLER ANDFREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG BY PETER HOLD Attorney fi March 5, 1963 w. R.MILLER ErAl. 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 Y 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 WILLIAM R. MlLLER AND$EDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG 4 PETER HOLD Ethan X March 5, 1963 w. R. MILLERETAL AXLE LATHE l9 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed May 2, 1962 an an INVENTORSMILLER AND LLIAM YO 6 PETER HO WILLIAM R 141150 may FREDERIC WI BY March5, 1963 w. R. MILLER EIAL 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 FIG. 20.

INVENTORS WILLIAM R. MILLER AND FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG March 5, 1963 w.R. MILLER EI'AI. L 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 0 L0 cu g a g 5 I1 I I II I 3 10 I N O l In I (D o l I L1. i U

INVENTQRS WILLIAM R. MILLER FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG -BY AND PETER HOLDlitter-My March 5, 1963 w. R. MILLER El'AL 3,079,822

' AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 SheetsSheet 17 FIG. 27A F Ifi 5I5 52I86 I J H p I 528 H l 550 j'r U {D 559 540 545 I59 545 I 4 42 v 548 21,550)I ssw 1 if A 18? 1 555 560 561-? 1 i 6500 I III 9 L3 F552 563 452 IINVENTORS WILLIAM R. MILLER, 7 FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG, BY AND PETER HOLDMarch 5, 1963 w. R. MILLER ETA]. I 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 18 FIG. 27B INVENTORSwILLIAM R. MILLER I FREDERIC WILLIAM irouwe, BY AND PETER HOLD March 5,1963 w. R. MILLER ETAL 3,079,822

AXLE LATHE Filed May 2, 1962 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 INVENTORS WILLIAM R.MILLER,

FREDERIC WILLIAM YOUNG, BY AND PETER HOLD FIG. 27C

United States Patent AXLE LATHE William R. Miiler, Rochester, andFrederic Wiliiam Young, Canandaigua, N.Y., and Peter Hoid, Miii'ord,(Zorro, assignors to Consoiidated Machine Tooi Division ofFarrei-Bhmingham Company, lino, Rochester,

N.Y., a corporation of QJonnecticut Filed May 2, 1962, Ser. No. 193,8523 Claims. (Ci. 32-14) The present invention relates to machine toolsand more particularly to an automatic machine for turning railroad caraxles, that is, to an axle lathe. This application is acontinuation-in-part of our copending application Serial No. 770,347,filed October 29, 1958, now abandoned.

One object of the present invention is to provide a machine Which willtake an axle, and machine its bearing fits or journals, its dust guardfits, and its wheel fits automatically, and completely, and withoutcontinued or intermittent attention of an operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed which will automatically chuck and center an axle, machine itsparts as recited, and then automatically eject the axle and place it ona conveyor by which it may be transported, for instance to an assemblyarea for assembly of the wheels on the axle.

Axles come in various lengths, and the areas which are to be machinedmay, therefore, be in diiferent positions on different axles. Anotherobject of the present invention, then, is to provide in a machine of thecharacter described means for automatically sensing the locations of theareas which are to be machined and for automatically setting controls sothat those areas will be machined properly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine which can senseand gauge the bearing fits of a previously roughed axle and from theradii connecting those bearing fits can set the tool control members sothat those radii will be precisely machined within a few thousandths ofan inch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed on which both ends of the side can be sensed simultaneously,the controls for the machining operation on both ends can be setsimultaneously, and both ends oi the axle can be machinedsimultaneously.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thecharacter described on which the dust guard areas and the wheel fitareas can be turned to have a specific reduction in diameter withouthaving specific diameters, while the bearing fit areas of the axle aremachined by not less than .a minimum specified reduction in diameter toone of a selected number of standard size axle bearing fit diameters,whereby the bearing fit diameters will be suitable without furthermachining to receive one of a selected predetermined number of standardbearing shells that can be held in stock.

Stiil another object of the invention is to provide a machine or" thecharacter described which will produce machine iits within therequirements and needs of the railroad industry and without subsequentoperations.

mother object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed in which the machining operations are controlled by templates,and having means for accurately positioning the work in the machine withreference to the templates.

Another object of the invention is to provide an axle la he in which thepositions of the tools for turning the various areas, which are to bemachined, are controlled during the turning operation by templatescomposed of adjustable and removable parts so that the most economicalremoval of metal can readily be achieved.

Patented Mar. 5, 1%53 "ice Another object of the invention is to providea machine of the character described in which the tooling is designed toeffect the complete turning operation in a minimum of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of thecharacter described having a plurality of tools for turning,respectively, different areas of the axle, thereby to attain mostefiicient turning operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed in which the points of entry of the respective turning toolsinto the cut, and the points of backing of the tools away from the outare controlled accurately and automatically.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from thespecification and from the recital of the appended claims whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGJ is a front elevation of a machine built according to one embodimentof this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section on a somewhat enlarged scale taken on the line 22 ofFIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a part side elevation, part axial section of the right spindlehead of the machine;

PEG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section on a somewhat enlarged scaleshowing the mountings for the gauge and limit switch carried by thishead, and associated parts;

FIG. 5 is an axial section through the left spindle head of the machine;

PEG. 6 is a fragmentary view, on an enlarged scale, as compared withFIG. 1, showing the mounting for the left hand set of templates of themachine;

FIG. 7 is a left hand end elevation on a reduced scale of this mounting;

FIG. 8 is a right hand end elevation on the same scale as FIG. 7 of thismounting showing in full and in dotted lines, respectively, the twolimit positions of swing of the template bracket;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the template assembly, but with the controlnubs removed;

FIG. 10 is a plan view oi the template assembly but with the controlnubs removed, and showing the probes in engagement with an axle which isto be turned;

PEG. 11 is a plan view in a plane below the plane of FiG. 10, furthershowing the templates and their mounting, and also showing the nubswhich are mounted on the templates insuring uniform, non-undulating cutsacross the bearing and wheel fits;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the templates showing the control nubs mountedthereon;

FIG. 13 is a section on the line 13-13 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 14 is a section on the line 1414 of FIG. 10, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

FIG. 15 is an end view of the template carrier and associated parts on asomewhat enlarged scale, looking from the right in FIG. 10;

KG. i6 is an end view on an enlarged scale of one of the tracers and thetools associated therewith;

PEG. 17 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 16;

1G. 18 is a section taken generally on the line 18-18 of FIG. 17,looking in the direction of the arrows and on an enlarged scale;

FiG. 19 is a section on the line 19-19 of FIG. 17, looking in thedirection of the arrows and on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 29 is a fragmentary side elevation of an axle such as may beturnedon a machine built according to the illustrated embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 21 is a vertical section through the bed of, the ma-

1. A MACHINE FOR MACHINING AN AXLE OR THE LIKE WHICH HAS LONGITUDINALLYSPACED PORTIONS OF DIFFERENT DIAMETERS THAT FORM AT LEAST TWOLONGITUDINALLY SPACED SHOULDERS, COMPRISING MEANS FOR ROTATABLYSUPPORTING THE WORKPIECE, A TOOL SUPPORT MOVABLE LONGITUDINALLY ANDRADIALLY OF THE WORKPIECE, A PAIR OF SENSING ELEMENTS, MEANS FOR MOVINGSAID SENSING ELEMENTS INTO AND OUT OF OPERATIVE RELATION WITH THEWORKPIECE, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID SENSING ELEMENTS RELATIVE TO ONEANOTHER LONGITUDINALLY AND RADIALLY OF THE WORKPIECE AFTER THEY HAVEENGAGED THE WORKPIECE UNTIL THEY ENGAGE THE TWO SPACED SHOULDERS OF THEWORKPIECE, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE LONGITUDINAL AND RADIALMOVEMENTS OF SAID TOOL SUPPORT DURING THE MACHINING OPERATION COMPRISINGA PAIR OF TEMPLATES CONNECTED TO SAID TWO SENSING ELEMENTS,RESPECTIVELY, TO BE POSITIONED THEREBY PRIOR TO THE MACHINING OPERATIONUPON MOVEMENT OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SPACEDSHOULDERS, AND FOLLOWER MEANS MOVABLE ALONG SAID TEMPLATES AND CONNECTEDTO SAID TOOL SUPPORT AND ENGAGING SAID TEMPLATES TO CONTROL THE RADIALAND HORIZONTAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID TOOL SUPPORT.